Down to Earth: A Skyward Sword HD Review

It’ll always be your Zelda.

Skyward Sword was a controversial title upon release. While fans wanted a new entry in the Zelda franchise, many people didn’t appreciate the motion controls. As I mentioned on the podcast numerous times, I bought a Wii U to experience the game for myself in my playthrough of the franchise, but I found it difficult to control at the best of times…and infuriating at the worst.

Unfortunately, while the Switch’s motion controls are better, they’re still not good. The saving grace? A Pro Controller. Using the Pro Controller made the game so much more enjoyable. At its core, Skyward Sword is a fantastic entry in the Legend of Zelda series that reminded me of Ocarina of Time in the best of ways. The puzzles were fun and innovative, exploration was nuanced, and even the villains were likable.

Come on — you can’t tell me Ghirahim isn’t a delight. He’s such a weirdo that you can’t help but enjoy fighting him. He’s kind of what I imagine a Ghiradelli chocolate laced with laxatives might be like. With that tongue, he should join KISS.

I won’t spoil the story, but it reveals a tremendous amount of lore for the series. Skyward Sword takes place at the beginning of all of the Zelda timelines, long before Hyrule even exists as a kingdom. It also has some of the most heart-wrenching moments of any of the games. Don’t get me wrong, the Legend of Zelda is my favorite game series of all time, but it doesn’t usually evoke emotions the way Skyward Sword did.

Difficulty-wise, I found Skyward Sword to be harder than average. I easily beat most of the bosses, but there were a few that took several attempts due to the way the game is designed. It’s built around motion controls, which means that boss fight mechanics often involved changing the angle or direction of your swing on a whim. The final fight in particular took a bit of preparation.

I stocked up on potions — two that restored 20 hearts, one that restored 8 hearts, and a fairy. I used all of them. The fight came down to the wire, and I found myself thinking that if the boss had another phase after his last one, I would have lost.

Skyward Sword also includes the annoying shield decay mechanic. It’s not my favorite part of Breath of the Wild, either — I don’t like shields breaking down, or at least not at the speed they do in the game. If you time your shield bash just right, you can stun the enemy and lose no durability, but if you just hold your shield up to protect yourself it will break quickly.

The good news is that there is a shield in the game that doesn’t break. That’s a little bit of a spoiler, but I’ll let you figure out how to get it (or you can email me and I’ll tell you.) Trust me: getting the shield is worth it and saves a lot of headache.

The HD remake improves on the graphics, but it doesn’t overhaul them. Everything is sharper and the draw distance looks much better, but it’s definitely still the unique art style of Skyward Sword. That’s not a bad thing–the game has its own charm and character that I’ve come to love after 36 hours of playtime.

If you rush straight through, you can probably finish it in 30 to 33 hours, but I went for 100% completion. Short of finding a few Goddess Cubes and Pieces of Heart, I did everything there was to do in the game. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and one I wish I had experienced sooner, but the good news is that the HD remake means Skyward Sword is available to a whole new generation. Maybe it means an OoT and MM remake will come to the Switch? Or even just a port?

Skyward Sword is definitely worth picking up and playing through. As for the quality of life improvements, the Zelda and Loftwing amiibo lets you return to Skyloft from anywhere on the surface (except inside temples) and return right back there. It’s a major QoL upgrade, but I used it exactly once in the entire time I played the game. You absolutely do not need the amiibo to enjoy this game.

Now that I’ve finished Skyward Sword, Minish Cap is next.